


Kupocon Fantasy

by LunaAvalon



Category: Final Fantasy, KupoCon
Genre: Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship, Big Damn Heroes, Epic Battles, Gen, RPF
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:41:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23213464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaAvalon/pseuds/LunaAvalon
Summary: A Kupocon fanfiction where Alex sets out into the big, wide world of the Final Fantasy games to become a hero in his own right. Along the way friendships will be formed and such a team will emerge as to make their mark upon the star on which they live.
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story has the Kupocon staff members living in the world of Final Fantasy, with the worlds and characters from all the games together on one planet. As such, there may be times when liberties are taken with the settings and I will do my best to describe where in the canon timeline the chapters are occurring, though there may be some canon divergence for the purpose of the story. Libertus is also there.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading!
> 
> Spoilers in this chapter for Final Fantasy VII, disc one (the Midgar section. Flagging this up in case people haven’t played it and are waiting until the Remake) Rated T for moderate violence (fighting monsters) and some bad language.

_In a world where fantasy is reality, the actions of one person can change the fate of many. In a place where great scientific advancements push cities far into the future and the history of magic remains embraced by those who understand its secrets, heroes do battle with villains to maintain the natural order of the planet so its people may know peace and prosperity._

_It is in this world where we set our story; of a young man who has spent his life following the tales of the abundance of heroes, and is eager to set himself in their ranks. Seeking out an adventure of his own he dons the coat of his favourite hero, bids farewell for now to his family and small village, and journeys into the big, wide world ready to make his mark. He does not know it yet but his actions will come to impact many lives and touch many hearts as he sets out to ever walk in the light of the crystal..._

*

Alex shifted to adjust the sword across his back. He wanted to get a replica of the gunblade made, but the money he had managed to save up only covered essential supplies such as food, drink, and potions for crossing the land between his village and the great city of Midgar. Even renting a chocobo was beyond him at this time. At least he was able to say his current sword had a space for materia and he was wearing a replica of Squall’s coat along with jeans and black boots; the gunblade would have to come later after he managed to save up more money from quests.

He had the clothes, he had a weapon, he had a fresh haircut, and he was ready to make a good name for himself as a hero.

Midgar loomed ever closer; a city bustling with heavy machinery, formed of two plates stacked on pillars one of top of the other to create an obvious class divide between those on top and those living below in the slums. Putrid smoke rose from great chimneys where stood the remaining Mako Reactors and rising above everything else was the ShinRa Tower at the city’s centre. The company made its money exploiting the Mako energy at the planet’s core, harbouring little concern for the world on which they lived or the citizens they took their money from. This was the city from where the hero Cloud and his party formed of the eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE started their now legendary quest to save the planet from the corporation’s greed and the villainy of the ex-hero Sephiroth. 

As Alex approached, his feet weary, he could see the devastation caused where the Turks (a mercenary group employed by ShinRa) had dropped the Sector 7 plate onto the slums below in order to get rid of AVALANCHE, an effort mostly in vain. The news of the event had spread far and wide but seeing it in person filled him with a new wave of sadness.

“How is it so little has been done to help the destruction when it happened so long ago?” Alex pondered aloud.

The sight of it gave way to an idea of what his path should be next. As he approached, the sky disappeared as the roof of the Sector 6 plate dominated his view. There seemed to be an eternal darkness which shrouded the slums underneath, the under-workings of the city above exposed and hanging over them like a rotting pizza with a slice taken out of it. 

It didn’t take long for Alex to locate volunteers giving their time to aid the refugees left homeless by the incident. Becoming a hero would have to wait while there were lives to be helped.

For as long as he was there to assist in the clean up of the Sector 7 plate, Alex was given a free bed in an inn alongside several other volunteers. The next few days going forward were spent shifting rubble and making the plate safe, metre by metre. While the slums crushed underneath the plate had mostly been evacuated when citizens had seen AVALANCHE fighting the Turks, the citizens on top hadn’t received any such warning. It was a blessing every time a survivor was reunited with even a small amount of their possessions, and Alex might have cried more than once as he only wished he could give them more. 

The houses and possessions in the Sector 7 slums could only be reached with proper excavation gear, the likes of which was only owned by ShinRa. Given that the Urban Development department in the ShinRa company would be the ones to decide what would happen in the long run, it had been agreed to leave that job to them so not to risk lives attempting to mine. Thus they were forced to leave the plate resting on the slums and climb ladders to shift the debris on top.

As the days went on, the absence of any assistance from ShinRa became ever more apparent, to the point that Alex observed one evening while sat on his bed “Why aren’t ShinRa lifting a finger to clean up the city? I mean, it is their own shit they’ve created.”

“They’d probably say they’re too busy chasing after AVALANCHE,” Nat, another volunteer, pointed out. She was a few inches shorter than Alex -an impressive feat as he was fairly short himself- though wore heeled boots to make up for it, had a ceramic jug hanging from her belt, and a cheerful smile alongside a serious working manner. She wore the blue robes and yellowish pointed hat of a black mage -her wavy brown hair kept tied back neatly underneath- and had the magic to back it up. Alex had seen her over the past few days using fire magic to blast apart larger rubble and lightning magic to make exposed power cables safe again. 

Her strength and disposition marked her out as someone Alex would absolutely want on his side in a fight; he only needed to broach the subject of her and him starting a team together.

“Yeah, and so long as there are gormless volunteers who will do the work for free,” said Libertus. He wore the black jacket with silver insignia of the Kingsglaive, a group formed to protect the far-off city of Insomnia, and his dark brown hair was pulled back in braids, exposing a tattoo on his forehead.

“Hey, who are you calling gormless?” Alex shot back and Libertus sneered jeeringly. Alex wasn’t sure why Libertus was in Midgar helping with rescue efforts, but he was there anyway.

“You hear all sorts about ShinRa; the way they treat people, the experiments they discard,” Nat said, leaning against the bedframe. “It’s hard to know what to believe at times.”

“Given they’ve shown what they’re capable of when they dropped the Sector 7 plate, I’m inclined to believe all of it is true and we’ve only heard half of it,” Alex said, lying back on his bed, then muttered, “those shits up at ShinRa are the ones that caused this destruction and they’re getting away with it Scott-free.”

“Well yeah, but what can any of us do about it?” Nat asked. 

Alex sat up as he considered it. A smile must have crept onto his face as Nat asked, her tone cautious, “What are you planning?”

“What do you think about sneaking up to ShinRa Tower and having a little word with the ones in charge of city planning in person? Alex grinned.

“I mean, I doubt it would do much but so long as it doesn’t cause any more trouble-” Nat said, but Alex was already standing up.

“I’ll go!” Alex grabbed his coat and sword and was out of the door before Nat had a chance to stop him. Striding through the grim streets past citizens, volunteers and soldiers, Alex made his way to the base of the ShinRa Tower where he stopped in awe. The tower was 70 floors high, emblazoned with the red ShinRa logo; the general offices on the lower floors were obvious from the lit windows, a strange barrel enclosed the middle floors, and Alex had to crane his neck back to see the executive offices, laboratories and SOLDIER headquarters on the topmost floors, almost hidden from sight in the smog.

His pause had given Nat the chance to catch up with him and she grabbed Alex by the arm. 

“You’re not thinking of walking in the front door, are you?” Nat hissed, casting a concerned eye around lest there be any soldiers nearby.

“Do you have a better plan?” Alex shrugged. He thought he stood a decent chance in his current clothing of blagging his way in if he claimed to be some foreign businessman looking to make ShinRa an offer; the front desk he could see through the wide glass doors didn’t look so intimidating. 

“There’s an emergency exit around the back of the Tower. AVALANCHE managed to get in that way once before; apparently it leads right up to the sixtieth floor,” Nat informed him, and Alex had to admit it held merit. 

“I suppose that would be less conspicuous...” Alex agreed. He skirted around a side street and Nat ran after him. “Wait- why are you following me?”

“Someone has to save your sorry ass after you get caught.”

“My ass does not need saving!”

“Or when you break down crying.”

“Hey!”

The pair bickered until they located the door to the stairwell where they began the arduous task of climbing sixty flights of stairs. Initially their previous bickering led to them launching themselves into competition, both speeding up the first six flights of steps until Alex passed Nat, only to be overtaken on the fifteenth floor as he tired and Nat put on a burst of speed. They passed the next fifteen floors in this manner, each taking the lead only to lose it again, until they reached the thirtieth floor and both were huffing with exhaustion, completely dizzy from the spiral of stairs. The competition was soon forgotten as they took it in turns supporting the other, and finally after what felt like hours they saw the blessed sixtieth floor sign printed on the wall and a door at the end.

Nat had been supporting Alex with his arm over her shoulder for the past four floors, and now she staggered to the wall and gasped for air. Alex walked forward on wobbly legs, extended his hand to the door handle and pushed down. The handle did not move.

The door was locked.

Alex turned to Nat, a demonic smile spreading over his face as he continued to tug uselessly at the handle.

“You’re joking!” Nat groaned. Alex’s legs gave way beneath him and he sank to the ground, the sword on his back clanging on the concrete floor. 

“Stand back,” Nat said, and Alex took her advice as he saw her flex her hands. The air around them grew chilly as Nat shot a cone of ice magic. Alex swung his sword and brought the hilt of it down, breaking the handle off the door. Nat hit the door again, this time with a fire blast, and with a kick from the heel of Alex’s boot the door finally swung open. 

Unfortunately, the noise had not gone unnoticed as a patrol of two soldiers turned as they entered a corridor. One of them shouted, “Hey, stop!” 

However, before they could properly raise their guns Nat cried, “Lightning Rain!” She shot a hail of electricity at the two guards, they flew a few metres and landed heavily on the floor.

“Limit... broken,” she huffed, swinging the door to the stairwell shut behind them and pointed to it as she declared, “Never again!”

“Did you kill them?” Alex asked.

“No, just knocked them out,” Nat said. A test for their pulse confirmed the guards were unconscious, so they stashed them in a nearby cleaning cupboard and stole their key card. 

It was inelegant, but they had managed to infiltrate ShinRa Headquarters.

The climb up and encounter with the guards had made them realise how underprepared they were for coming here, not to mention they had no idea where to go now that they were in. Climbing to the sixty-fourth floor they found a rest point, managed to grab some potions from a machine, and both collapsed onto benches as they recovered. 

They overheard from some workers that President Rufus Shinra, Heidegger (the head of “Public Safety”) and Scarlett (head of Weapons Development) were all away on business, and the Turks were out in the field tracking down Sephiroth. Their mission was starting to look pointless, but neither of them wished to face the stairwell again without feeling like they had achieved something.

Climbing a few floors and taking to the airducts, they managed to avoid detection and crawled around, salvaged some more loose items from rooms below so that they both had a meagre stock of potions and antidotes, until they heard voices through a duct.

“But Professor Hojo,” a man said, his voice hysterical. Alex turned back to Nat and they both mouthed _Hojo!_ The scientist was infamous surrounding rumours of his experiments. “You have yet to present any positive results with regard to finding the Promised Land, and after AVALANCHE made off with Red XIII-”

“The loss of Experiment XIII does not matter,” Hojo said gleefully. “Experiment XV has been a tremendous success and we can begin tests to replicate the specimen immediately!”

“On that note, your tests have been called into question as unethical; the public have noticed people are going missing and we have reason to believe the failed experiments are not appropriately disposed of!”

“It is none of your concern, Reeve. If you are referring to the incident in Nibelheim we have already taken measures to rectify the situation...” Hojo replied, his tone cold, and the two voices grew distant as the men moved further down the corridor.

“They are making experiments here! I knew it!” Nat whispered.

“We have to stop them,” Alex whispered back. “We need to destroy that Experiment XV before it can do any harm.”

Nat nodded. Hojo and Reeve had been headed towards the stairs and on climbing another floor they found the preparation area for Hojo’s laboratories. A mess of cables covered the floor and a tank stood to one side, the door blown off as if something had been trying to get out (Alex didn’t like to think about what that could have been). A large glass chamber stood in the centre of the room, sturdily built and cylindrical in shape so it could be viewed from all sides. As they drew close, Alex noticed a mass of red fur lying in the middle of the tank and he drew his sword.

“Do you think that could be the experiment Hojo was referring to?” Alex asked.

“Most likely,” Nat said, her hands crackling with readied magic. 

Approaching cautiously, as they came level with the glass the creature inside raised its head from its arms to look at them. It seemed to regard them with such sad eyes that Alex felt his heart melt under the gaze.

“Aww!” Alex sighed, his sword lowering.

“I don’t think you’re meant to ‘aww’ a dangerous monster,” Nat reminded him.

“But look at it…” Alex said. “It’s like a big red dog…”

“Looks more like a cat to me,” Nat countered.

The creature raised itself up on four legs- its body could be most closely compared to a coeurl, though its snout was longer and more canine. Its black mane was like a short mohawk and the tip of its tail was on fire. Its fur was a striking red with the number XV emblazoned on its left shoulder. In height it came up to Alex’s waist, although length-wise it would probably be longer than him. As Alex bent down and placed his hand against the glass, the creature walked up and placed a paw against the glass on the other side, staring into Alex’s eyes with that deep expression. 

Alex turned to Nat with tears welling in his eyes.

“Fine,” Nat said after a long moment of mental debate. “But if it mauls you, that’s on you.”

“Great!” Alex said, straightening and walking over to the control panel. He ran the key card through the reader and the door to the chamber slid open. Alex saw Nat keep her magic ready but he kept his eyes on the creature as it timidly padded out of its cell.

“Hey there,” Alex said, his tone kind. “You can come out, we’re not gonna hurt you. We’re here to rescue you.”

Alex knelt down, held the back of his hand out (as he used to do with his cat at home) and the creature moved forward to inspect it. 

“I guess it is kinda cute,” Nat said.

“We need to think of a name for him!” Alex said brightly. “Didn’t AVALANCHE have a dog like this as part of their group?”

“Ah, that’s Red XIII; he’s my hero.”

Alex and Nat both stared at each other, blinked, then looked down to the creature between them which had just _spoken_.

“You… can talk?” Alex said, stunned.

“Oh yes; I used to be a man like you before Hojo started his experiments to create a new Red XIII,” the creature explained. Its voice had a level of calm reason to it. “My name is Alan, by the way.”

“You can talk?” Alex repeated.

“I can sing too, but quite badly!”

“ _You can talk!_ ” Alex exclaimed, throwing his arms around Alan’s neck. “Oh, we are definitely keeping you!”

“Thank you for letting me out of that cell, but who are you guys?” Alan asked.

“I’m Alex, she’s Nat,” Alex said.

“Hi Alan,” Nat said, giving a small wave and a smile.

“Right; are you guys with AVALANCHE?”

“No, we’re not really in any group…” Nat started, before Alex cut in as he stood up. 

“We’re starting our own team! Want to join? We’ll be going on loads of adventures!”

“I guess it’s better than being part of Hojo’s tests to make another Cetra,” Alan said. “And you guys seem nice; sure, I’ll join you.”

“Yes!” Alex cheered, then quickly turned to Nat. “I mean, if that’s OK? If you want to be part of our team?”

Nat shrugged and smiled, seemingly resigning herself to being part of this odd group. 

Their celebrations were cut short by a metallic swooshing noise as the floor in the holding chamber was raised on a hydraulic leg and ascended into the ceiling.

“What just happened?” Alex asked.

“That lift is what takes experiments from the chamber up into Hojo’s lab,” Alan explained. “Chances are when they see I’m not there they will come down here to investigate.”

“We need to get out of here, fast!” Nat declared.

“That would be a good idea,” Alan agreed. The party of three made to run from the room, but on reaching the stairs they were stopped as Hojo descended onto their level, cutting off their escape route. The man had been described to Alex as some kind of mad scientist, though he might be closer compared to looking like his old headmaster with a strict face, small round glasses, black hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, and a lab coat covering a smart tuxedo. His spine was curved and he walked with his hands behind his back, accompanied by three lab assistants and they stopped in surprise at the sight of the intruders. Hojo maintained is composure and was the first to speak.

“Why is the Experiment XV out of its cell? Who are you people?” Hojo asked, his lips curling in displeasure.

“We’re-” Alex started, before stopping. “Dammit, we really need to think of a name for ourselves!”

“Not important right now!” Nat murmured.

“Right! We’re the ones rescuing Alan from your barbaric tests; that’s all you need to know!”

“Is that so?” Hojo hummed in amusement.

“It is!” Alex drew his sword in anticipation for a fight. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, experimenting on people?”

“Lending a helping hand,” Hojo said, his tone as reasonable as if he were explaining why moogles had poms. “The species was on the brink of extinction and the previous specimen was stolen from these labs. I will not allow you to take this one away!”

Hojo clicked his fingers and his assistants fanned out, penning the party in from the sides, but before they could judge their attack a grinding noise from behind the holding chamber caught their attention as a much larger cell door slid open on wheels to reveal the most hideous monster Alex had ever seen.

“What is that thing?” Nat gasped.

“Sample: H0512; a particularly nasty specimen!” Hojo laughed. “We managed to salvage its corpse after the previous break-in and reanimate it!”

“ _Shit_ ,” Alex swore. The monster was twice the size of him; its body was almost human in shape though its proportions were grotesquely deformed. Stringy muscle tissue stood out against the sickly greyish-purple skin on the legs and torso. The left arm ended in a large club where a hand should be, while the right arm was replaced by three tentacles and a fin like some form of sea creature. A bulbous growth on the right shoulder opened to reveal sharp teeth next to its actual head, its black eyes glaring at them above a mouth spewing tentacles. The ‘Sample H0512’ was accompanied by smaller ball-like creatures with stubby legs, no taller than Alan, each with a single green eye standing out against a yellow shell.

Unseen by them, the assistants had fled back to the stairs when Hojo summoned the monsters. As the team stood frozen in shock, the two mouths of the Sample opened to breathe green, toxic fumes and they scattered to get out of the way. 

A yellow beetle-like Sample scuttled at Alex, throwing its body at him and he fended it off with a glance from his sword. It landed on its back and Alex drove his sword into the softer belly, and with an awful twitching of its legs the creature crumpled, dead.

Shuddering, Alex turned and clocked both Nat and Alan also fighting beetles, and unseen to them Sample: H0512 closed in on Alan.

“Look out!” Alex yelled, dashing forward. The tentacles on its face parted and the mouth on the shoulder opened to release more green fumes. Alex was too slow in getting to Alan and both of them got a toxic lungful, effectively poisoned.

“Yes! Give up now and you may be permitted to live as my experiments!” Hojo gloated.

Alex sagged down on one knee, the poison sapping his strength and he drove his sword into the floor, trying to keep himself upright. His left hand sought out Alan’s fur, him crouched in a similarly bad situation on the ground next to him.

“It’s me that Hojo wants,” Alan said, and Alex could feel him shiver under his touch. “You and Nat should get out of here while you can.”

“We’re not leaving you!” Alex scowled, fumbling in his coat pocket. “You’re part of the team, after all- bros before Hojos!”

Alex drew out two antidotes and held one out to Alan. Under Alex’s determined glare, Alan relented in taking it.

“You guys OK?” Nat shouted. Alex cracked the antidote and felt the cleansing relief rush through his veins. He stood up at the same time Alan straightened, the antidote cracked between his front paws. Nat shot a bolt at one of the beetles, its body dropped to the floor, and dove after the final one, but the H0512 reared back and a wash of energy coursed through the room. The two dead beetles rolled back to life.

“The Sample just reanimated the little bugs!” Alan exclaimed.

“We need to take out the big guy, otherwise we’re just wasting our efforts,” Alex determined, stepping forward to take command.

“But those bugs will keep getting in the way,” Alan pointed out.

“I can distract them if you can take that thing out,” Nat shouted, dodging an ice attack, her fiery theatrics indeed drawing the beetles’ attentions.

“Great!” Alex said, and together he and Alan turned to face the Sample. 

The monster stood ready for them in the centre of the room; it attempted to breathe poison again but Alex and Alan were ready for it, dodging and moving to attack from both sides. Alex struck at the bulbous obtrusion on the shoulder while Alan clawed at its back. Once they avoided the shady breath, the most the Sample could do was swat at them and though Alex was caught in the side by the clubbed arm he quickly recovered. 

Alan sunk his teeth into the monster’s neck, causing it to rear back and howl in anguish. Alex took advantage, summoning his strength from deep within.

“Crosscut!” Alex yelled and slashed his sword twice across the monster’s chest, creating a deep X-shaped cut. Black blood oozed out of the wound and the Sample roared.

“Move!” Nat shouted, her hands crackling. Alex dove to the side and Alan jumped away as Nat shot a deafening bolt of lightning directly at the incision. The Sample: H0512 went rigid and toppled over, just as the remaining beetles all shuddered and died, the life link between them destroyed.

“All right!” Alex cheered as he slashed his sword through the air.

“I can’t quite believe we survived that,” Alan said.

“You’d better believe it; you’re with the cool team now!”

“We are not sticking with that name,” Nat said firmly, dusting her hands on her robes.

“Only one thing left to clear up...” Alex said, but on turning to the stairwell he saw that it was empty. “Shit, Hojo got away!”

“I would advise against going after him for now,” Nat said, setting a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Our priority is getting out of this tower.”

“You’re right,” Alex agreed, the wind leaving his sails.

“So how did you guys get in?” Alan asked.

Alex and Nat looked at each other and grimaced, though before they could present an alternative to the 60 floor stairwell another ShinRa executive appeared on the stairs, most likely drawn by the noise of the battle.

“Oh my!” He cried, covering his mouth with his hand at the sight of the dead specimens. “W-what happened here?”

“Hey, I recognise your voice,” Nat said and Alex turned in surprise. “Aren’t you Reeve?”

“Uh, yes?” Reeve replied. He wore a blue suit with a red tie and his black beard and moustache were stylishly kept, though he seemed to have a nervous disposition and a tired look to his eyes. The memory returned to Alex of the man Hojo had been speaking with while they had been in the vents.

“Reeve Tuesti? You’re in charge of Urban Development!” Alex grinned. Perhaps this infiltration wouldn’t be a complete waste after all. “We came here to have a word with you! What the hell do you think you’re doing dropping a section of the city on top of another section of the city and then not taking responsibility and leaving it to volunteers to clear up your shit?”

“Look,” Reeve said wearily. “The Sector 7 plate was Heidegger’s idea, I was against it from the start. I know people have been struggling-”

“An understatement,” Alex pointed out.

“-And I have been trying to push President Rufus on the matter but so much of the funding has been redirected from Urban Development to other departments,” Reeve explained.

“I don’t think you understand,” Alex said, going to stand in front of Reeve. “ _Families_ have lost loved ones. _Citizens_ are homeless.”

“I do understand!” Reeve emphasised, and Alex could actually hear the stress come through in the man’s voice. “But without the traction of the company behind us there’s nothing I can do! They’re happy to leave the destruction as it is but citizens are suffering...”

Reeve’s shoulders slumped and he bowed his head in defeat, and Alex felt a wave of pity for him. “You’re just a man who hates his job, but you’re sticking at it to try to help people, right?” Reeve nodded pathetically. “Then what about this- get the soldiers to assist in the clean-up. They’re already paid for, you’re just redirecting the work.”

“That... could work,” Reeve said, the wheels seeming to turn in his head. “SOLDIER has been without aim these past months... Heidegger was meant to take it on board but he’s more interested in making robots...”

“There you go!” Alex said. “The citizens of Midgar get the help they need and we get out of your hair!”

Reeve nodded. “I’ll get it done! And listen, if you guys could leave quietly I would appreciate it. You can take the Red XIII replica with you, I want nothing to do with Hojo’s testing.”

“My name is Alan, and it might be a good idea for us to get out of Midgar altogether,” Alan pointed out. “You guys aren’t going to be ShinRa’s best friends and I stick out like a sore thumb.”

“It’s a plan,” Alex said. “And for compensation for our troubles here today, we’ll be taking the lift down!”

Reeve led them to the executives’ lift (a glass box on the side of the Tower out of which they could see Midgar below them) and they descended through the levels, congratulating each other on a successful first mission. As they walked out of ShinRa Headquarters’ front door, Alex pondered that joining up with an awesome black mage and a talking dog best friend to bring about a positive change in a city meant that the adventure he had been seeking had well and truly begun.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party set out from Midgar to meet with a new team member and pick up some quests for money, becoming stronger along the way. Libertus is also there.

“So let me get this straight,” Alex recounted. “You are in the body of a carnivorous animal, yet you are a vegetarian... who doesn’t eat vegetables?”

Alan shrugged sheepishly. “I mean, that pretty much sums it up.”

“So what do you eat?” Nat asked.

The party of three had set out that morning from Midgar after managing to grab one final night at the inn where Alex and Nat had resided with the volunteers. Alex felt guilty about leaving the clean-up efforts half completed, though as they left he was satisfied to see members of ShinRa’s elite task force SOLDIER assisting the volunteers and manoeuvring heavy excavation equipment. Reeve seemed to have been good to his word and him managing to force ShinRa to act was the only redemption Alex could see for them leaving early. Thankfully the lead volunteers had been understanding when he’d informed them, even giving him a Materia -a sphere of crystallized Mako energy which would allow them to use new magic- as thanks for their hard work. 

Making their way to the outskirts of the city, the roof of the rotting pizza gave way to blue skies and with each step away from Midgar they breathed deeper, cherishing the unpolluted air and the bright morning sun on their faces. The town of Kalm was a two hour hike and they set off into the east eager for their next adventure.

“Remind me,” Alex said a few minutes later, turning to Nat. “Why are we going to Kalm again? Wasn't the plan to get out of Gaia?”

“My partner is currently there,” Nat said offhandedly.

“Your... partner?” Alex repeated. He remembered the previous night Nat had been sending numerous texts to some unknown recipient. He couldn’t help the feeling of a weight dropping in his chest and disappointment that Nat might have a partner.

“A drinking partner, I mean!” Nat quickly specified as Alan wolf-whistled.

“Oh, right!” Alex exclaimed, pulling himself back together.

“Unless either of you have a secret stash which you haven’t revealed, we’re strapped for cash right now,” Nat pointed out.

“I don’t even have pockets,” Alan said.

“Exactly. We’ll have a better chance of picking up some casual quests in exchange for money in Kalm, and we can continue outward to the coast and get a boat from there,” Nat said.

“I have doubts it’ll be that easy to get money from quests,” Alan countered.

“It can be if you know the right places to look,” Alex noted. The plan sounded like it had a good amount of merit to him. He then spent a good five minutes pondering, though he didn’t like to admit how much relief he felt that Nat didn’t have a partner, beyond one for drinking with. 

He pushed the thought aside and joined Alan who pawed gingerly at the ground with every step.

“How’re you doing there?” Alex said casually.

“It feels so weird,” Alan said. “I can’t decide which is easier to walk on- concrete or dirt.”

“Oh yeah,” Alex said, remembering Alan's history as a test subject. “How are you adjusting?”

“Walking is fine; I guess grass might feel nicer right up until I get a stone between my... pads? Beans, I guess? Like, this morning when I woke up I had the urge to walk around on two legs like normal...”

The group continued on through the morning walking and chatting in this manner. The land between Midgar and Kalm was a barren wasteland, devoid of any flora as a result of the nearby city draining the area’s natural energy. The area was rumoured to be inhabited by Professor Hojo’s rejected experiments but thankfully they encountered nothing more dangerous than some creatures known locally as Kalm Fangs (purplish canines, similar in size to Alan with angry red eyes and sharp claws) which they easily dispatched. 

After an hour they paused to take a swig from their water bottles. The wind carried the sound of roars of thunder, though the skies remained clear. It was as though motorbikes were racing through the plains, at each step remaining a few hills away from them and the noise only increased the closer they came to the town. The wasteland gave way to grassy patches and Kalm loomed on the horizon; its grey stone walls which enclosed the town reached forty foot into the sky so that even on first spotting the town it still took them another half hour to reach the gates. The grass died away around the walls, and they finally reached the shade of the portcullis.

Kalm had a quaint feel to it; most of the houses had white plaster walls and exposed wooden beams with blue slate roofs, some even sporting turrets. The shops all had hand-painted signs on their fronts and paving stones wound through the town in circling patterns. After the bustling city of Midgar the medieval town couldn’t have contrasted more, were it not for the structure in the middle of the town square. What Alex had initially mistaken to be a sculpture on closer inspection turned out to be a Mako extraction tower. Looking around he could see a number of Mako generators sat on roofs and the chimney of a power plant (smaller than the ones in Midgar) could be seen behind a row of houses. If he ignored the ShinRa presence the town could be called picturesque, though the reminder of the company left a sour taste in his mouth. 

Townspeople went around on their daily business and a number of guards walked on patrol, but the three adventurers went ignored. Clearly their involvement at ShinRa HQ hadn’t been reported this far out yet.

“This way,” Nat said. She led them to the opposite side of the town square where stone steps led up to the shops and next to the steps a brick tunnel mouth was set into the wall. 

“Can I point out that if we’re going into sewers we will all stink and my paws will get dirty,” Alan groaned.

“It’s not a sewer,” Nat said.

“It feels like we’re gonna get stabbed in there,” Alan added, eyeing the tunnel.

“It’s just a pub,” Nat explained, pointing to _The Jolly Dragon_ signs on the stone wall. 

Entering, they followed a short tunnel leading to the pub; there was a lot of black and gold furniture with the plaster and brick walls, all lit by yellowish lanterns in an attempt at elegance except it gave the place a sickly look. A number of workers sat at tables, completely ignoring them as they walked in and Nat led them straight to the bar where a person in white robes sat on a bar stool. A glass of wine stood in front of them.

“Niki!” Nat called, and the woman turned.

“Hi Nat!” Niki exclaimed, turning and getting off the bar stool to embrace her. “Wow, it’s been too long! How are you doing? This town is boring but the wine is fine!”

Alex’s jaw dropped and he blurted out, “You’re a Viera!”

From what little Alex knew about Viera he remembered they were almost completely human in appearance, the most obvious difference being pointed hands and feet, white hair, and a pair of tall leporine ears sticking straight up out of the top of their head. Niki matched this description perfectly. Her white hair was pulled into a side ponytail, the top of which seemed to meld seamlessly into her white rabbit-like ears with black fluffy tips. In addition to the white and red mage robes, she had two bags on her belt, resting on her hips, as well as a jug to match Nat’s. Alex was surprised to see she wore black rimmed glasses perched on her slightly upturned nose and the spots at which they were hooked into her hair were hidden by orange roses, wrapped around the back of her head like a circlet.

Her ears twitched at his voice and she pulled back from the embrace. She pouted with a smile as she replied, “And you are a silly boy!”

“Hey!” Alex complained as Nat laughed. “Well you’re drinking in the middle of the day so who’s the silly one really?”

“It looks like a good idea to me,” Nat said, and sat down at the bar next to Niki.

“What are you having? It’s my turn after last time,” Niki said.

“Ooh, what are you having?”

Calling over the barkeep, Niki ordered a red wine for Nat. Despite his initial protests of it being too early to drink, a cider was ordered on Alex’s request, and a lemonade for Alan. Somehow, Alan pulled himself up to perch on the bar stall with his front paws resting on the bar, and he tried to clutch at the glass and tip it into his mouth to drink as normal. He managed this to moderate success, and after observing him for a minute the barkeep returned with a straw.

“So I saw your texts last night,” Niki said to Nat once they were all served. “You’re looking for ways to make money, right? There’s not much in the way of work in this town. Not much in the way of greenery around here either, it's very dull.”

“If there’s no work then what were you doing here?” Alex asked, having chosen to lean against the bar rather than sit down.

“I was sampling the local cuisine, of course!” Niki joked, waving her half empty glass. “Plus I was on my way to Midgar to join the volunteers but then Nat texted me saying you guys were heading out this way. You’ll have to tell me what you guys did to get on ShinRa’s bad side so badly!”

“We had to bust this one out of Hojo’s slammer,” Alex said, pointing to Alan who was now attempting to suck up his drink through the straw, his eyes bulging with effort.

“Aw, poor guy!” Niki sighed. 

“If it’s quest work you’re looking for then the barkeep is usually the person to hear it from,” said Libertus from where he was sat behind Alex, causing him to jump.

“Fuck! Did you follow us all the way from Midgar?” Alex exclaimed, clutching his pounding heart.

“He’s been here all morning; if anything you followed him,” Niki pointed out. She called the barkeep back over and Alex explained what they were looking for.

“I see,” the barkeep hummed. “I suppose there have been a number of nuisances poppin’ up that need to be dealt with. Most these people here in this bar are out of work, see. We rely a fair bit on mining mythril in this town, but that work has stopped since the Zolom turned up.”

“The Zolom?” Alex repeated.

“Aye. The monster lives in the marshes outside the entrance to the mines. Most adventurer types like you who have gone out that way have taken chocobos and run straight past it, but that’s not a viable option for gettin’ the mythril out o’ there. Mind you, even gettin’ a chocobo at these times has been difficult. See, the supply line to the Chocobo Farm has been cut off by a demon motorbike gang.”

“Demon motorbike gang?” Alan repeated incredulously.

“Aye. Them demon bikers race around these parts, causin’ trouble to anyone who crosses their path. It also makes gettin' to Junon harbour a pain, as goin' through those caves is the easiest way to get through them mountains. If you could get rid of even one o’ those problems then the reward would be great, but not anyone who has gone up against the Zolom has won,” the barkeep finished.

“It sounds kinda dangerous,” Alan pointed out.

“We’ll do it!” Alex declared. “We’ll go talk to that motorbike gang and knock their heads together for a start.”

“Are you even capable of knocking heads together?” Niki asked with a grin.

“Let’s just stop and think about this,” Alan groaned. “If other travellers have passed up bringing down these monsters then there must be a reason why.”

“I feel like the best thing is for us to get out there and see what the situation is,” Niki said fairly. 

“What makes you think you’re coming with us, silly girl?” Alex teased.

“Aw, come on! This place is so dull; I need lush plant life to sustain my soul! Plus who else is going to heal you when you get beaten up by that Zolom? I know for a fact Nat doesn’t know healing spells,” Niki pouted.

“Oh yeah?” Alex said. “We have potions and antidotes for healing.”

“Not that many,” Nat muttered in an undertone.

“Well,” Niki said, bringing her glass to her lips. “I could heal Alan’s leg for a start.”

Alex and Nat stared at Niki before their gaze whipped around to fix Alan in place, as he swivelled slightly on his bar stall to guiltily hide his left leg.

“Alan?” Alex said slowly.

“It’s just a scratch,” Alan shrugged. “It wasn’t worth poppin' a potion just for that.”

“Come here,” Niki order with a sigh, and with a final grumble Alan swivelled to reveal the wound. What he had described as a scratch was more like a gash, most likely caused by the claws of one of the Kalm Fangs they had fought, Alex reminisced. Niki took up a staff set by her side against the bar; the staff was made of wood with green leaves and flora winding up to where the top curled over and in on itself around an old, pale green materia. 

She held the staff upright, closed her eyes, then when she took her hands away the staff stayed floating in space. Pointing her palms towards Alan, the staff glowed and magical green sparks illuminated the gash. Niki grabbed the staff again and as the light faded, the wound vanished.

“Woah!” Alan gasped, admiring his leg.

“Right,” Alex determined. “Niki, you have permission to heal Alan if he tries to conceal so much as a chipped claw.”

“It’s a deal!” Niki agreed.

With Niki on board, the party finished up their drinks and set out once again. The shops held little to draw their interest and they lacked the money to buy weapons anyway, so they continued out of the town gates and skirted the outside wall until they were pointing in the direction of the Chocobo Farm the barkeep had mentioned.

Outside of the walls, the thunder caused by the motorbikes intensified, and they only needed to walk half an hour around the next hill to locate the source.

Five motorbikes, each with their rider, could be seen circling in the distance. Their wheels kicked up a storm of dust. One veered off from the others, unfortunately spotting the party before they could form a plan of attack, and signalled to the group so that it and two others broke away from the circle and sped at the party.

“Get up the hill!” Alex yelled. The party turned and staggered up the hill, stopping to observe the bikers from the small cliff. From their vantage point Alex could finally get a good look at them- the red bikes were long and low like choppers with exhausts spreading out behind it on either side like wings. The rider had to reach up to grip the handlebars, but as one turned slightly Alex realised the rider had no legs and its body was melded into the bike, its mean green eyes glowing from underneath a reddish skull cap.

“Shit, it is a demon!” Alex exclaimed in shock. “That thing is the bike!”

“How do you even come up with something like that?” Niki asked, her hands twisting nervously around her staff.

“I'm guessing Hojo,” Alan supplied.

“Who cares, just get rid of them!” Nat said, climbing to the cliff edge and throwing a fireball at one of the bikers. It hit the front wheel and the biker careened off course. Following her initiative, Alan leapt from the cliff and ran straight at one of the bikers still standing, jumping to snap at its head with his teeth.

“Let’s go!” Alex said to Niki, but as they turned down the hill the third biker appeared, skidding its back wheel around so that its exhausts caught Alex and Niki in the chests, sending them to the ground.

“Ouch!” Niki cried. 

The Devil Ride tried to cycle around for another drift turn, but pushing himself to his feet Alex dodged the first set of exhausts and slashed at the back wheel as it came around, before he was clipped again by the second set. As he hit the dust, the sensation usually brought on by using a potion washed over him. Up close, he distinguished the green sparks as leaves formed entirely of light and he realised that Niki had healed him. He straightened up in time to see the Devil Ride crash onto its side and he dove after it, plunging his sword into the ‘rider’s’ side. The engine coughed and died.

“Are you doing OK there?” Niki asked, running down to Alex’s side.

“Yeah,” Alex gasped. “Nat and Alan?”

Together they ran to the crest of the hill. Nat and Alan had both succeeded in defeating their respective attackers. Alan had taken a nasty skid mark to the chin and Niki healed it without prompting.

The other two Devil Rides showed no interest in the party, despite having seen off three of their number. They continued to circle in the distance, kicking up a dust cloud.

“They can’t create a tornado doing that, can they?” Niki asked.

“I wouldn’t have thought so. Then again, if Hojo made them there’s no knowing what powers they might have” Nat said.

“Wait,” Alan said, squinting at their targets. “There’s something in the middle of that dust cloud.”

“Friend or foe?” Alex asked, trying to squint to see for himself.

“I can’t tell,” Alan said. “If you are considering bringing down those final two then I would recommend proceeding with extreme caution.”

“We need to if we want to collect that reward,” Alex pointed out. He grinned as he formulated a plan. “Nat, do you reckon you could do that fireball spell to get their attention then freeze the ground so they slip on it? Try to get them away from whatever they’re circling?”

“Could do,” Nat nodded.

The party proceeded as Alan directed, tense in case the Devil Rides decided to turn on them or direct some super strong monster from the dust storm onto them. The bikers remained distracted, however as they crossed the rocky plane Alex noticed their heads turn to regard them. They were certainly gaining their attention.

Once they were fifty foot away, Nat warmed up a fireball between her palms and threw it at the Devil Rides, glancing off the exhausts of one of them. The attack drew its attention and the pair paused in their circling and revved their engines. Focusing instead on the ground, Nat cast an ice spell onto the floor in front of the party, coating the rock with a thin layer of ice, but as she tried to extend the ice field further towards the bikers the ice turned to vapour as it left her palms.

“Um...” Nat muttered.

“Oh dear,” Niki said, clapping a hand to her mouth.

“What’s wrong?” Alex asked, uncertainty mounting as the Devil Rides continued revving.

“Out of mana,” Nat admitted, her shoulders slumping.

“Mana?” Alex repeated.

“It means she’s out of magic, she can’t cast spells anymore!” Niki clarified. “Does anyone have an Ether?”

“This is bad,” Alan said and Alex swore, both of them knowing the state of their depleted stocks. “We need to get out of here!”

Before they could escape, one of the Devil Rides accelerated and popped up onto its back wheel, trying to speed at them with a wheelie attack, but as it hit the ice field it flew onto its side. The party scattered as it came crashing towards them. Alex quickly re-evaluated the situation- without any magic Nat had no way to fight or defend herself, neither he nor Alan had any affinity towards casting magic, and Niki hadn’t shown any capability in terms of offensive fighting. Escaping the flailing Devil Ride had thrown him close to Nat and away from Alan and Niki.

“Alan!” Alex shouted, forming a new plan. “Can you and Niki take care of that other one?”

Alan and Niki nodded and ran off across the melted ice towards the dust storm and the final Devil Ride while Alex placed himself between Nat and the monster that had charged them. It was struggling on its side, its wheels spinning it around in circles, and before it could raise itself from the ground Alex ran and slashed at the weaker exposed chest. What looked like black oil ran from the deep cut and it took another stab from his sword before the monster crumpled.

“Alex!” Niki yelled from across the plains. “It’s a chocobo!”

“What?” Alex shouted back.

“The thing the monsters were circling- it’s a chocobo!”

With the dust tornado drifting away on the wind, Alex could finally see the yellow bird crouched on the ground in the centre of where the riders had been circling. 

“I’ll get to the chocobo; you help Alan,” Nat said.

Alex turned and saw Alan bring the biker to a screeching halt with his teeth sunk into its back wheels. Racing across the plains and into the fray, Alex jumped and launched himself into the air. He set one foot on the handlebars and drove his sword down through the monster’s head. With a gargled yell it fell onto its side and Alex rolled away.

With the final Devil Ride felled, the deafening roar from the engines finally faded and Alex’s ears rang in the silence.

“Well, that could have gone worse!” Alex evaluated as he retrieved his sword.

“It also could have gone much smoother,” Alan sighed.

Pulling themselves up, they went over to where Nat and Niki were crouched next to the chocobo. The yellow bird-like creature had a large, round body with small wings, yet legs strong enough to carry a person into battle with sharp talons on its feet. Its head turned on its long neck to regard them with beady blue eyes, its feathers bristling and it clipped its orange beak at the sight of Alan, yet it made no attempt to get away. Niki smoothed over its feathers and it calmed.

“Those monsters were tormenting this poor thing,” Niki said, her voice soft. “It’s hurt.”

On closer inspection, Alex could see the red blood mottled in with the yellow feathers in several patches. “Can you heal it?”

“I can try,” Niki nodded. 

As she raised her staff, a “wark!” from a distant hill caught their attention. Two chocobos stood watching them, and the one on the ground replied with a feeble “warrrk!” The green healing magic flickered over the wounds and though the blood remained the tissue scarred over. 

“That’s the best I can do for now, I don't want to risk my mana getting low,” Niki admitted. As the chocobo made to stand it slumped to the ground again. “Easy there, take it slow.”

The two chocobos came trotting over yet maintained their distance. 

“What should we do now?” Nat asked.

Alex considered the limited options open to them. “What exactly does it mean to be out of mana? Will it come back or is it gone for good?”

“Our mana will restore with time and rest,” Nat explained. “It’s like magical burn out- I've been using my magic all day so this was bound to happen at some point.”

“I see,” Alex murmured, then shouldered his sword back into its holster. “We’re in no state to face another monster with our black mage unable to use magic for the foreseeable future, and our white mage possibly going the same way. We also have an injured chocobo in tow, and the afternoon is getting on. We’re gonna have to call it there for the day, and see if we can get to the Chocobo Farm to rest up.”

“I agree we can’t go on today, but are you sure taking a chocobo to a Chocobo Farm is safe?” Alan asked.

“Chocobos aren’t eaten in this part of the world, they’re bred for transport,” Niki said. She tried to rouse the chocobo to move, and as it looked like it would fall again Alan dipped under to support the bird on his back. The two chocobos made noises of protest yet relented as they realised he was trying to help the injured bird. As they set off at a slow but steady pace the two accompanied them, at times running off to the sides before returning to check on the third. They were slightly larger in size than the one on Alan’s back, and Alex wondered that they might be parents looking after their child.

At receiving warnings from their chocobo guard the party took diversions to avoid Kalm Fangs as necessary, as well as a rather vicious spiky robot. Gradually, the two chocobos warmed to the party and accepted petting on their beaks. As the sun started to sink into the horizon at their backs they saw spread out in the valley before them the Chocobo Farm. The hills around the farm were open and grassy, spotted here and there with lush trees and many dirt paths were covered in tracks where the birds ran wild.

“Wow, it’s so pretty here!” Niki sighed, and Alex had to agree. The farm comprised of a cottage, silo, and paddocks adorned by a cartoon chocobo. A number of the birds stood in a fenced area out the front and came padding over to investigate the new arrivals. 

A farmer came out of the cottage to greet them and introduced himself as Choco Bill, and after explaining their situation he directed them towards the stables for the injured chocobo to heal. In gratitude for them slaying the Devil Rides he also instructed his daughter Chole and son Choco Billy to make up some guest beds in the cottage for them to rest.

A room comprised of two double beds, a table with four chairs, and a beautiful view out over the meadow lit by the sunset greeted them. Exhausted from a day of trekking and battles, it didn’t take long for them to crawl into their beds and fall asleep.

The next morning, the party awoke with new spirits and made their way downstairs to find Chole and Choco Billy waiting for them in the kitchen with breakfast.

“Them there chocobos yer brought in are a breedin’ pair and the littl’un is their littl’un,” Choco Billy informed them as he set plates piled high with bacon and toast onto the table. Their stomachs grumbling, the party tucked in eagerly. “They’re so relaxed with yer lot I reckon if yer fixed up saddles they would be good ter ride ter get past that Zolom.”

“And what would you recommend for someone looking to fight the Zolom?” Alex asked.

“Don’t be wastin’ yer time,” Choco Billy replied. “That Zolom is as tough as paw’s old roast beef.”

Setting his fork down, Alex considered everything he’d heard about the Zolom. Alan must have seen the look on his face as he said, “You’re not still thinking of going up against that thing? Anyone who’s ever spoken about it has said it can’t be brought down, and after what happened yesterday we are not in the best state.”

“Anything is possible if you plan for it well enough,” Alex said, determination filling his veins. “We’ve stumbled this far on blind luck alone, but you’re right- that ain’t going to cut it going forward. After yesterday we have a better idea of our abilities and limitations, and we can use that as a team. We are capable of raising each other up and supporting one another. I do think we are good enough together.”

Alex turned to Chole and Choco Billy. “You must have heard a lot about the Zolom from people passing through, right? Anything you can tell us will be a massive help for us to prepare.”

“Yer truly serious about this, aren’t yer?” Choco Billy huffed with a smile.

“Don’t doubt him when he thinks it will help people,” Nat murmured, a grin creeping onto her lips as she sipped her tea. 

Much of the morning was spent collating information from Chole and translating that into their fighting style as a group, but the problem still came back to what they would do if their magi ran out of mana until Nat remembered something.

“Alex, you said you were given a Materia when we left Midgar? May I see it?”

Alex pulled the dark green sphere from his possessions, passed it to Natalie and said, “I don’t actually know how to use it so it’s a bit useless really!”

“But this might do the trick!” Nat smiled, her eyes wide as she explained what the Materia could do. It was game changing, but they definitely needed to practise using it first. Outside, Nat pulled a chain from around her neck and set the Materia into the pendant, and (after drawing lots to see who the unlucky test subject would be) Alex stood opposite her with Niki and Alan to the side ready with antidotes. After only two attempts Nat succeeded in poisoning Alex at will.

The second part of the plan after lunch involved learning to ride a chocobo. Their rescued birds greeted them as they entered the stables and were calm as Choco Bill fitted them with saddles and reins, instructing Alex, Nat and Niki how to grip the reins to make the chocobo trot, run, turn, and stop. Alex was the only one of the three to ride a chocobo before, but even he had to learn how to attack with his sword while riding the mounted steed. Choco Billy set up some dummies for him to swing at, trying to mimic attacking then dodging a counter attack as he and Alan would be the only ones that needed to get close to the Zolom.

Gradually getting the technique down, he joined Nat and Niki as they practised casting spells at speed, spending the rest of the afternoon charging across the grassy plains and hills as Alan raced along beside them, fighting more Kalm Fangs with increasing ease. Riding alongside his teammates felt exhilarating; the wind whipping against their faces as their combined strength progressed in leaps and bounds.

Returning to the farm, they were all so used to the lumbering gait of the chocobos that their legs turned to jelly as soon as they dismounted. They wobbled back into the cottage where Choco Bill had prepared a dinner of tough roast beef with vegetables. The rest of the evening was spent finalising their plan before getting an early night.

Alex laid awake long into the night, the plan going round and around in his head while Alan contrived to steal the blankets (Alex didn’t care what lies Alan had tried to spread that morning, he did not snore!) until he slipped into an uneasy sleep filled with dreams of snakes.

The next morning consisted of a hasty breakfast before they piled onto their chocobos (Alex and Niki on the two parents, Nat on the smaller child) and the four of them took off towards the marshes. The journey only took two hours by chocobo, in which time they also rested to arrive in the best possible health, and it wasn’t long before the greenery gave way to dark, wet grass which in turn gave way to the marshlands.

The mountain range that cut through the centre of the continent curved around, cutting off any other route to the coast, and in the wide horseshoe sat the marshes. The view was completely dominated by rocky peaks and water. A number of islands rising out of the water were dotted here and there, spaced just far enough apart that anybody travelling by foot would not make it before attracting the attention of the monster. Directly opposite where they stood, about half a mile in the distance, they could see where a slight overlap in the mountains formed the path to the entrance of the mythril mines. 

“Any sight of it?” Alex asked of the party. Chole had described to them how travellers would see the shadow of the Zolom cross the marsh, the only indication it was about to attack. The others shook their heads. Alex exhaled a nervous breath and said, “OK, let’s mosey!”

He, Alan and Nat trotted down the hills into the marshes in close formation, the plan being Niki would hold back until the fighting started then move into spell casting range to avoid their white mage being attacked first. The chocobos slapped through the shallow waters, and just as Alan complained about the mud beneath his paws, Alex saw the shadow dart at them.

“On the left!” he shouted. The group scattered as the Zolom breached the waters and shot at them, the chocobos startled by the near miss.

Bringing his bird back under control, Alex turned to assess the situation. Towering thirty foot out of the water with much of its tail still submerged, the Zolom was as thick as an oak trunk with a thick armour of olive-coloured scales. An oval hood spread out from its head, two prominent fangs stuck out from the front of its muzzle and it surveyed them with large, orange irises. 

Alan had already got in the first strike with his claws while Nat retreated to a safer distance, so Alex drew his sword and circled around. His and Alan’s task was to keep the monster distracted while Nat hit it with the Bio spell until the poison took effect. The Zolom turned its head to follow him, and Alex saw the dark green magic of Bio glance off its trunk. 

The Zolom lunged at Alex and he barely dodged it; the snake was wicked fast and he was unable to slash at it before it reared back again for another attack. Alan howled and the Zolom turned, unsure about which target to go for, when it thrashed its head in fury, green bile spewing from its mouth.

“That's done the trick!” Nat yelled triumphantly. The Zolom flinched as the poison infected its body.

“Everyone to an island!” Alex yelled, and they all raced to follow his order. Using lightning magic in the water would be dangerous, lest they catch one of their own party, but with everyone safe on an island Nat was free to cast ice.

“Permaglaze!” she yelled as she threw her hands wide, and the water around the Zolom froze over, spreading as far as their islands, sealing the monster in place.

“Now!” Alex shouted. He and Alan charged the Zolom as Nat threw fire spells at its hood, his chocobo sliding slightly on the ice. The Zolom was still dangerous as it thrashed, trying to free itself, though Alex managed to get some good slashes in and a number of scales came off.

“What was that?” Alan asked wearily, and it took a moment before Alex felt it too- something thudding against the ice.

“Get out of there!” Niki yelled, but before they had a chance to escape the Zolom's twin tails came crashing up through the ice, breaking the field into shards. Alex scrambled to get his chocobo to safety and he saw Alan slip into the water. The Zolom reared up and its tail whipped through the air as Alan resurfaced and caught him in the chest, sending him flying through the air and he landed with a splash some distance away.

“Alan!” Alex yelled. As Niki charged forward to try to get to Alan, the Zolom reared back its head with a terrible shrieking noise. The air around the party drew close and thrummed with red and purple flames which burned the air from his lungs and seemed to suck at Alex's core strength. He realised, looking up to see the flames pool in a mushroom cloud around the Zolom's head, this was the terrible Beta attack that Chole had warned them about. 

Alex sagged forward on his chocobo as his bird sank to its knees. Even as the awful spell faded he felt horribly void of energy and looking around he could see Nat and Niki in a similar situation. The attack had been worse than they had prepared for, worse than being poisoned over and over again by Nat, but to his relief as he saw Niki slump she raised her staff over her head.

“Blossom Breath of Life!” she gasped, and as Alex's vision swam magical green petals sparkled in the air. The most wondrous sensation he had ever experienced washed over him; it lifted his strength, heart and spirit. His chocobo also calmed by the effects, Alex was able to survey the healing magic spiralling around himself, Nat and Niki, all lifting themselves from the ground.

“Focus silly boy, it's not over yet,” Niki instructed. Alex grinned at the nickname and pulled up at the reins, bringing the chocobo to its feet. 

The Zolom slunk down from its raised position and Nat hit its head and trunk with a barrage of fireballs. She dodged badly as the Zolom lunged at her, was thrown from her chocobo and landed heavily in the water. 

Alex raced forward and struck the trunk again, slicing through the thick skin. The Zolom's head came back around, its row of teeth biting a deep cut in his arm and he flinched, his chocobo racing to safety and he was hit by Niki's healing magic, the pain ebbing and looking down he saw blood covering a white scar that looked several days old.

Nat’s chocobo splashed wildly, drawing the Zolom's ire towards it so that Nat had a chance to wade away to an island. Alex and Niki rode over to her, their two chocobos warking wildly at the reckless bravery of their youngster.

“That's me out of mana,” Nat said. 

“Now we have to hope the Bio does the trick,” Alex grimaced.

They didn't have to wait too long as the poison had been sapping the Zolom's health throughout the battle. The snake was twitching horribly as it tried to pursue the chocobo, when with a blood curdling scream that echoed through the mountains it shuddered and raised itself into the air, trying to attempt one last Beta spell, before it came crashing down on its side and moved no more.

“Is... that it?” Niki breathed. “Did we do it?”

“I think we might have won that,” Nat confirmed.

“Shit, where's Alan?” Alex cried. 

Racing to where they thought he landed and calling Alan's name, they eventually found him half-stuck down a bog but otherwise unhurt (an impressive shot from the Zolom, Alex had to admit).

“Ack!” Alan exclaimed as he was extracted, then whistled on seeing the dead Zolom. “I can't believe we actually did that and lived.”

“Another resounding victory!” Alex confirmed. “Now Niki, can your magic heal leather? This coat is a replica...”

Debating the possibility of using healing magic on a leather coat (Alex not letting up until Niki tried it and the magic failed) the party made their way back to Kalm with some teeth and scales salvaged from the corpse to show their success. The barkeep was astounded by their dual victories, the news of them defeating the Devil Rides and clearing the supply line to the Chocobo Farm arriving the previous day, though the workers were somewhat irritated by the news they would have to put down their pint glasses and return to work. The party were paid handsomely for their troubles by the town officials (also being gifted a light green Heal Materia which -on inspection- Niki informed them should help with the mana problem and she set it in place of her old materia in the middle of her staff) and with the route clear they continued their journey towards the coast.


End file.
